La Gran Aventura: Day 67-71

On Day 67 we boarded this high speed boat that would take us from Buenos Aires across the Río de la Plata to Colonia del Sacramento, Uruguay. - Jay

Even in a high speed boat it took us an hour to cross the Río de la Plata which originates at Iguazu Falls on the northern border of Argentina and Uruguay. - Jay

Approaching Colonia and El Faro (the light house) is visible. Colonia was first settled by the Portuguese in 1680 and it now serves as a popular tourist destination for residents of BA and other parts of South America. - Jay

Hosteling it again at El Viajero. - Jay

A quick interior shot. - Jay

Roof top shot. During the final days of our trip the weather warmed into the high 60s and low 70s. A perfect way to end our visit to SA. - Jay

Now without our motos we decided to rent these for the afternoon. I don't call these 50 cc scooters an upgrade however.- Conor

We used these guys to explore the city and surrounding area.- Conor

We stumbled on the Plaza de Toros (bull fighting ring) which we later found out was built in 1908. Apparently bull fighting was later outlawed in Uruguay and in 1910 and the ring was closed after only hosting eight fights. - Jay

Colonia del Sacramento, on the eastern shore of the Río de la Plata, now has a population of about 22,000 people.

It felt good to be on bikes again even if they were so little. Both Conor and I felt more danger on these scooters than on our bigger 650s - no power to get out of tricky situations. - Jay

Off roading!!!- Conor

Cause this is awesome.- Conor

The old man is looking good and enjoying the beach.- Conor

Beauty shot of the beautiful bikes.- Conor

I love this shot of Conor in the Barrio Histórico (historic quarter) of Colonia. - Jay

A typical school house with parents waiting outside for dismissal. - Jay

The historic quarter was really charming and filled with corner cafes. - Jay

A view of El Faro from the historic quarter. - Jay

As we traveled throughout Argentina and Uruguay we noticed a lot of people carrying a thermos of hot water to prepare a beverage called mate. It is prepared from steeping dried leaves of yerba mate and it's served in a hollow calabash gourd and a sieve-like straw called a bombilla is used to drink the concoction. We weren't a fan of the taste - sorry! - Jay

This guy was proud of the meat he was cooking and for good reason.- Conor

Could this be the perfect steak? Not quite, but still amazing.- Conor

On Day 68 we rode the bus for about an hour to a small town called Valdense. Outside of this town we stayed in a hostel called El Galope. - Jay

This small hostel also serves as a horse farm that was started about six years ago. - Jay

For the most part we were the only guests in this beautiful dining and living area. The hostel was built from the ground up by couple who traveled the world and then decided this was the place they wished to settle. - Jay

Our room was small but tastefully decorated and comfortable. - Jay

All fresh breads, local cheese, and a mystery juice of some sort were included. Uruguay was pricier for us and El Galope ran $25/person. - Jay

The owner (Miguel) in front of his house. He was recovering from an accident in which he almost cut off his thumb with a machete. - Jay

Enjoy a few views around the farm. - Jay

The "logo" of El Galope was designed by Monica who was an amazing painter. - Jay

I want to ride my bicycle, I want to ride my bike. Not really, this one speed bucket of rust made me sore for a solid 4 days.- Conor

This is an example of housing in a Swiss community we started to explore on bikes.- Conor

The community was first settled in the 1860s by Swiss immigrants and later there was an influx of German immigrants. The next photo shows the first church in the area. - Jay

This is the entrance to Colonia Suiza Nueva Helvecia. The town is still vibrant and driven by milk and cheese production in the area. - Jay

An interesting flag flies in town (Uruguayan and Swiss colors). - Jay

Miguel (at the hostel) told us about a uniquely Uruguayan sandwich we should try - Chivitos. This became our new favorite restaurant and food.- Conor

He's making the bread portion of our Chivitos.- Conor

Told you it was amazing.- Conor

The School of Dairy Farming (started in 1930). An interesting place for sure.- Conor

On Day 69 the heartiest member of the group set off on bicycle to find Victoria's Goat Farm. Conor mentioned something about being a little sore after 15 miles of riding on Day 68. - Jay

Goats and more goats. One of the mothers delivered babies three days earlier and they were fun to watch. - Jay